The Boy in the Black Suit

Matt Miller’s life drastically changes when he loses his mom to cancer. It doesn’t help that his dad stops working and begins drinking heavily. Matt helps pay the bills by taking a job at none other than a funeral home. Matt enjoys his job, especially when he observes people’s reactions at funerals. Yet, there are more problems when a car hits Matt’s dad. Fortunately, his dad survives. While he recuperates, Matt encounters Lovey at one of the funerals. Although Lovey seems to have it all together, she is not as strong as she appears, since Matt is unaware of her painful past.

Jason Reynolds, the 2015 John Steptoe New Talent Award winner, has masterfully fashioned another story that is not boring—the greatest goal Reynolds strives for in his books. Reynolds’ first-person narrative takes readers into the life of Matt, a high school senior who, amid struggling with the death of his mother, is suddenly thrust into adult responsibilities when his father starts drinking. Reynolds’ plot is lighter than it appears, because he deftly incorporates well-developed characters into scenes filled with comedy, and a bit of romance. The Boy in the Black Suit is definitely earmarked to be a classic!